The present invention relates generally to an accessory for shoes and, more particularly, to a flexible shoe pocket which can be securely laced to a shoe and which permits the laces to be secured over the shoe pocket.
One problem commonly encountered by participants in many physical sports, such as jogging, is what to do with keys, pocket change and the like. A sports participant can choose the obvious solution and carry his wallet or keys in a hip pocket, but the weight of the wallet or keys can often cause a slight deviation of the participant's golf swing or other sports movement. Rather than having the user carry a wallet or key chain with oneself while participating in sports, many suggestions have been made in the past to carry such articles on a sports participant's shoe. Exemplary of such suggestions are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,662,677, 4,507,882, 4,536,975 and 4,630,383. Although all of these patents generally describe product devices which are carried on the shoe by attachment to the shoelaces, they all suffer from one or more disadvantages.
For example, although U.S. Pat. No. 2,662,677 describes a golf tee holder in the form of an open pocket secured to the golfer's shoelace, no provision is made to attach the bottom of the holder to the shoe and thus the golf tee holder continually "flaps" or bounces on the wearer's shoe while walking, swinging and putting, thereby creating a bothersome distraction. Similarly, the detachable shoe pocket described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,882, is also shown as being attached to the user's shoe by way of the shoelace at the pocket top only. Thus, it too will flap or bounce on the wearer's foot, creating a bothersome distraction to the proper mental state necessary for proper and complete participation in a sport.
Attempts to retain a shoe pocket at both the top and bottom of the pocket are relatively complex as shown in the shoe pocket described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,975. Such a shoe pocket has a pocket portion with an elongated extension of the pocket rear flap. This extension not only requires that an additional length of pocket material be rigidly secured to the pocket, but also requires a mechanical connection, such as a snap button, to correct the top and bottom portions thereof and secure the product to the shoe rather than by simply attaching to the shoelaces. Other shoe pockets, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,383 require that the shoe pocket be integrally formed in the shoe, particularly as an extension of the shoe tongue. Such a construction is complex and leads to increased manufacturing costs. Such a construction is not suitable for children.
The shoe pocket of the present invention provides a solution to the aforementioned problems and also provides significant advantages in that it is of relatively simple construction and allows the wearer to lace the shoelace through the pocket in a normal fashion and securely tie the same well above the upper extent of the pocket. To accomplish this, the shoe pocket of the present invention includes an elongated pocket which is preferably stitched together from a durable fabric to form a pocket which has a pocket flap that can be releaseably secured to the pocket body.
The pocket incorporates means for mounting the same to the shoe, by way of the laces thereof. A preferred mounting means includes a pair of openings or eyelets which disposed at the bottom and top portions of the pocket and are in general alignment with each other. Significantly, an additional, double-size opening or eyelet is located near to the pocket top pair of openings. This double opening permits the user to mount the pocket on the shoe well beneath the shoelace knot by threading the laces through the bottom openings and through the top openings and finally exiting through the double opening so that the shoelace knot does not interfere with access to the pocket. It further permits the wearer to wear his shoes in a "cool" fashion wherein the shoes are substantially laced yet untied.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved pocket for a shoe for carrying keys, spare change and the like is particularly suitable for use by children and which can be easily manufactured and which permits the child to tie the shoelaces above the pocket without the lace knot interfering with access to the pocket.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible pocket for an athletic shoe having a pocket flap which releaseably engages the pocket body and having means provided within the pocket body for mounting the pocket to the instep of the shoe above the shoelace thereof and further having means for permitting the laces to pass above the shoe pocket.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved, colorful fabric pocket for a shoe wherein the pocket includes means for mounting the pocket to the shoelaces in place upon the instep of the shoe without the pocket bouncing, the mounting means including two pairs of eyelets passing through the pocket body portion, a pair of eyelets being disposed in the top and bottom portions of the shoe pocket and wherein the pocket further includes a double eyelet disposed in a central top portion of the shoe pocket body, which double eyelet allows the shoelace to be threaded completely through the shoe pocket and tied above the pocket without interfering therewith.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts.